How to Bring Faded Wood Cabinets Back to a Shine

Cabinets take up more surface area in your kitchen than the refrigerator and stove combined. Since they're such a dominant fixture in the kitchen, their appearance can directly influence the look of the entire kitchen. Meaning, if they look pristine and cheerful, the entire kitchen takes on that glow. On the other hand, if they look worn and dull the rest of the kitchen can appear that way as well. Returning them to their former glory is a simple process completed over the span of a few days.

Screwdriver
1/3 cup trisodium phosphate
1 gallon water
Bucket
Scrub brush
Clean old towels
Electric sander
100-grit sandpaper
200-grit sandpaper
300-grit sandpaper
500-grit sandpaper
Tack cloth
3-inch nylon brush
High-gloss tinted polyurethane

Instructions

- 1
  Unscrew all cabinet hardware with a screwdriver. Remove the hardware and screws and set them together out of the way.
- 2
  Combine 1/3 cup trisodium phosphate with 1 gallon water in a bucket. Dip a scrub brush in the mixture and scrub down the cabinets, removing dirt and grease that gives them a dull appearance.
- 3
  Pat the cabinets down with a clean old towel and allow them to air dry. Press a piece of 100-grit sandpaper on the bottom of the electric sander. Run the sander across the surface area of the cabinets. Repeat with 200-grit sandpaper and then 300-grit sandpaper. Finally, to bring the cabinets to an even greater shine, buff the cabinets with a sheet of 500-grit sandpaper.
- 4
  Wipe down the cabinets with a tack cloth to remove the dust from sanding. Dip a 3-inch nylon brush into a coat of a high-gloss slightly tinted polyurethane finish. The gloss will give your cabinets a natural shine and the tint will restore any slight fading of color. Allow the polyurethane to dry overnight and then apply a second coat, giving it at least 24 hours to dry.

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